Pastries in Paradise

Thanksgiving is only a few days away which means holiday baking has already begun or is about to begin shortly. A staple of most American’s Thanksgiving feast is the pumpkin pie. Although I love a slice of traditional pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream I also enjoy developing desserts inspired by classic flavors. This year I chose pumpkin pie and created these pumpkin pie pudding bites to suppress my creative itch.

Despite my love for pumpkin pie I understand it can be a difficult pie to master, especially for novice bakers. Anything custard based can be tricky and the smallest mistake can be all the difference between the perfect pie and disaster. Of course you can always buy a pie from the bakery or supermarket but many families enjoy the baking process and passing a dish they made themselves with love. That is where these pumpkin pie pudding bites can help. If you do not want to take on the task of baking a pumpkin pie from scratch but also do not want to miss out on the great taste that is pumpkin pie, these bites are the answer to all of your problems.

Not only do these bites channel all the flavor and texture profiles of traditional pumpkin pie (with half the effort), they are also extremely portable and the perfect size for little fingers or those prone to overindulging. Try making them in place of a traditional pie if you need a quick last minute dessert, as a portion controlled offering for the health conscious, a mess free treat at the kid’s table, or as an interesting addition to your classic offerings.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding Bites

Ingredients

½ cup Granulated Sugar; divided

2 tbsp. Cornstarch

1 ¾ cups Milk

1 Large Egg

½ cup canned Unsweetened Pumpkin

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

2 pkg. Puff Pastry Shells

¼ cup Chopped Walnuts

Dash of Salt

¼ cup Heavy Cream

Preparation

Combine 6 tbsp. sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat. Combine the milk and egg and stir well with a whisk. Gradually add the milk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.

Combine pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl, stirring well. Slowly add the pumpkin mixture to the milk mixture, whisking constantly. Place pan over low heat and cook for 3 minutes, or until thoroughly heated (do not boil), stirring constantly. Transfer pudding into a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill.

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil and coat foil with cooking spray. Place the remaining 2 tbsp. sugar, walnuts, and dash of salt in a small skillet. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and is golden, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently to coat nuts. Transfer nuts to the prepared baking sheet and cool completely. Once cool, coarsely chop nuts.

Prepare puff pastry shells according to package directions. Cool completely. Place cream in a bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fill shells with chilled pudding. Top each filled shell with a dollop of whipped cream and chopped nuts. Serve immediately (if not serving immediately, wait to whip the cream and top bites).